Fishing device



Sept. 7, 1943.

P. HENDERSON ETYAL FISHING DEVICE Filed April 12 1941 Q. w m N T. 0mm m CUEV E m H [F Z [T #2 6 WV L 0 7 mm M Patented Sept. 7, 1943 Henderson Angeles, Calif.; said Jeffreysassignor' to said a Application April 12 19h, Serial No. 388,282

This invention relates to an item of I tackle, and particularly to an attachment, for releasably securing a sinker or weightable. sub-, stance to a fishinglinawhereby the line, bait andsinker may be cast a considerabledistance and the sinker, or weightable substance released .When the line and said sinker or weightable substance, strikes the water so that thebait' or lure will remain at or near the'surface of -the water. In certain types of game fishing, for example fishing with live bait for yellowtail, barracuda, small tuna and other game fish of the samegeneral size which inhabit similar water, it is de-- sirable to cast the baited hook a considerable distance from the boat, and it is also desirable that at the conclusion of the cast the line and live bait remain at or near the surface of .the water, as such location has been found by experience to offer the best location for hooking these types of game fish.

The live bait ordinarily used in this type of fishing is not heavy enough to enable a long cast to be made, and it cannot be whipped back and forth as in fly casting. If a stationary'or permanent weight is attached to the line-or to the leader near the live bait to facilitate casting, such a weight pulls the line and live bait downward immediately upon striking the water and carries the bait below the region where yellowtail normally strike. We use yellowtail only as an example, there being as already explained several other fish which will strike live bait at or near the surface of the water but do-notordinarily feed at a depth to which a stationary or perma-. nent sinker wouldcarry the bait. I

It is an object of our invention to provide means for attaching a sinker or weightablesubf- I 8 claims." (CI; 43428) a Other advantages and objects will become ap- Figure 3 is a vertical cross section of one form,

of the invention.

Figure 4 is a section similar'to Figure 3 illus- 7 trating another form of the invention.

stance .to a fishing line which will be severed upon the sinker or weightable substance striking the water so that the sinker will fall tothe bot-. tom, leaving the line and the live-bait floating at or near the surface of the water, .withinthe area where the cast is completed. Y

A further objectis to provide by means of a device of the character described, automatic means for severing the connection ofa'sinker; or weightable substance to the line, actuated byv the presence of water on the connectingmeans.

lian'other' object is to provide a device of the character described which incorporates a spliced wire for coupling the sinker orweightable substance to the fishing line and which splice is destroyed or severed by chemical action initiated by the water into which the sinker or weightable substance and line isvcast. a

Referring to Figure 1, a boat It) is represented from which a fisherman casts a fishing line H to a distance substantially remote from the boat. Theline is equipped with our invention subsequently described in detail. The full lines of Figure '1 illustrate the approximate position which the line attains soon after it strikes the water; and the dotted line shows the approximate position which the fishing line assumes after the action has taken place which releases the sinker, or other weightable substance and frees the-line so that it may normally float at or near the surface.

The line H conventionally has secured to it a swivel l2, a leader I3, and a swivel hook M, to the latter of which is fastened a minnow, sar-, dine, orother live bait fish Hi. It is usual to attach the live bait to the hook in a manner so that the live bait will swim around asa lure.

To the line I! we attach a sinker HG bymeans of our coupling device I]. The sinker may be of any desired shape and weight, it being designedor selected in relation to the weight and length of the fishing line to secure the maximum desired cast, We prefer to form it in the shape of a bait fish as illustrated, which enables us to.

attach the device i1 close to-or partly within the open mouth of the artificial fish. The point of attachment ofthe coupling device I! to the line depends upon the fishermans own choice .of

tackle In the illustration, the attachment is to the line near its connection with the leader,

. our invention, as it may be utilized in either man her, although it is preferably secured within about four feet of the bait either above or below. i

The form of attaching device ll chosen for i1- lustration comprises a paper capsule 20 provided-- able low temperature fusing alloy ;ror. metal-may be employed. This wire or ribbon, or extensions thereof, should have one end embedded in the sinker as illustrated by dotted lines in Figure 2, and the other end formed in a loop 23a tube weightable substance.

of the claims. so as to embrace any and all equivalent structures.

The essence of our invention is an attaching device for securing a sinker or other weightable substance to a fishing line to facilitate casting, and which device embodies mean actuated by reaction with water to rapidly sever the attachmentand freevthe line .from ,thesinker-or other Having described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

slipped over a fishing line and securedthereto H by being pinched or twisted thereon.

Enclosing the wire 23 within the capsule is a chemical 24 which reacts strongly exothermically with water. A good example of a suitable chemical is anhydrous aluminum chloride. .Other fice and isicheapenand there are other suitable materialsxwhich may he .used.

' iln'use'thezhook is'baitedandthe sin'ker'is attached .to the fishinglinebypinching or twisting the-loop 23a, or both pinchingand twisting it. The user then strips off the waterproof tape 25,1i l1i'ch exposes the perforations, and makes his cast; As the sinker 16 and attaching -de vice .llstrikes the water, the water-gains access to the heating compound throughthe perforations,land the reaction which'occurs melts the splicing allow-whereupon the opposed parts of the. attachment become severed and the weight of the sinker carries it downwardly, 'freeing =the line to assume a position ator near the surface of the water 'as illustrated in 'dottedlines "in Figural. We have; found that when using -a Liebowitz alloy as describedin combination with anhydrous-aluminum chloride "the sinker willb'ecome'-cietach ed in about one and a half to two seconds."

While we prefer to use a sinker inth'e'shape of a fish, this is not essential; a sinker or weightable substance of any shape or size is contemplated-as within the scope of our invention. The coupling device may be attached to the sinker or other weightable substance in any suitable manner, andito the fishing line or leader .in any suitable manner.

In Figure 3 we show the fusible talloy=2i3 as spliced at 3% to extensions 3l which may be of some other metal. In Figure 4, the attaching wires 32 and 33 are of vany desired metal and are spliced at 34 by Liebowitz alloy or some'other low temperature fusing alloy or metal. Theseaare but, variations of our primary conception.

Although we have herein shown and; described our invention "in what we have conceived to .be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of our invention,

which" is not to be limited to the details 'dis closed herein but is to be accorded the full scope '1. An article of fishing tackle comprising an attaching device for securing a sinker or other weightable substance-to a fishing line to facili- ,t,ate .ca-sting,.,said..device comprising means actuatedby reaction with water without tension on the line to rapidly sever the attachment and free the line from-the sinker or other weightable sub-. stancebefore the line has sunk any substantial amount. v p

IBwAn article of fishing tackle "comprising; an attachin deviee 'for securing "a sinker "or other weightable substance to a fishing line to fa-cilitate castingsaid'device "comprising meansja'ctuated by 'reacticn with water to rapidly sever the attachment and free t'he line' from the sinker or other wveiglitable substance, said attaching *device including "a wire" between 'the line and-the sinker or 'other weig'htable substance, and said means including afhemical of a group reacting strongly sexothermically with water and adapted thereupon tomelt the wire.

."3. An iarticle of fishing tackle comprising'a'n attachingdevice "for securing a sinkeror other weightablesubstance to .a fis'hing line to facilitate casting, said I device -'comprising means actuate'd ibyzreaction with'watcr to rapidly sever the attachment and free #the line from "the sinker ortuther weighta ble substance;said-attaching device including a couplingmade-o'f an' alloy fusiliie :at ."relatively low temperature between the liner and the :siril-rer or other weightable substance, aindzsaid means including 'a' chemical of 'a group v:rea'(sting strongly exothermically with water andniiapted'thereupon to melt thecoup'ling. =4. .An article :fishmg tackle comprising an attaching c'ieviceafor securing :a sinker or-cther weightable substancet'o a fishing line to facilitate mastmg, lsaid devicecomprising means actuated jbyiffiaclilnn with water to rapidly sever the attachnrent a'nd .iire'e-jthe line from "the sinker for other "aveightable substance said attaching device including :al coupling made of an alloy compris ing ibismuthiapproiiimately '50%, 'lead approximately 25%, cadmiumapprox'imately I2 /2 %,-'and tin approximatly '-l2%%, between the line and theusiziker for :other we'ighta'bl'e -substance, and

- said means including a 'ohemicalof a group reacting strongly exothermically with water "and adapted ithereupon to melt the coupling.

' :5. article of fishing tackle comprising an attacbingthvice for-securing-a sinker or other weightable substancegta a "fishing line to facilitate oasting, sequence comprising m'eans actuated hy reaction with-Water to rapidly sever'th'e attachment 1 and freefthe use "from the sinker or other weighteible substance, said attadhin'g de-f vice :meluding a coupling made-of an *allcytfusible at relatively low temperature between "the line emdlihe sililkBT'fQT other weightable substance, and

said .aneans including anhydrou aluminum chloride "in she 336810111 01 the coupling adapted to react presmceof water to rapidly heart azndmltithBflOUDlin'g. 1

6. An article of fishing tadkle-comprisingan attaching device for securing a sinker or other weightable substance to a fishing line. to facilitate casting, said device comprising means actuated by reaction with water torapidly sever the attachment and free the line from the sinker or other weightable substance said attaching device including a coupling made of an alloy comprising bismuth approximately 50%, lead approximately 25%, cadmium approximately 12 /2%, and tin approximately 12 between thefline and the sinker or other weightable substance, and said means including anhydrous aluminum chloride in the region of the coupling adapted to react in the presence of water'to rapidlylheatand melt the coupling. v

7. An article of fishing tackle comprising an attaching device for securinga sinker or other Weightable substance to a fishing line to facilitate casting, said device including a waterproof capsule; a coupling made of an alloy within said capsule fusible at relatively low temperature, and

a chemical within the capsule in the region of;

the allot adapted to react strongly exothermically with water to rapidly heat and destroy the v splice to release the sinker or other weightable substance from the line. t

' 8. A device as describedin claim 7 in which the capsule is provided with perforations providing communication from the exterior of the capsule 

